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Category Archives: Right Off the Bat Book
The Motherland of Baseball
In Right off the Bat, Martin and I trace the contours of international-baseball competition. Such count the Olympics (including Hitler’s infamous 1936 Games), the World Baseball Classic, and the far older European Baseball Championship. Some of the all-time largest crowds, … Continue reading
The Book of the Books that Settles All the Arguments
April 8 at Bergino Baseball Clubhouse will be Marty Appel talking about the history of Who’s Who in Baseball. I (Evander) have collected every issue for more than 40 years: 40 percent of the annual publications in settlement of all … Continue reading
The Big Thump
If the heart-palpitatingly exciting semi-final of the cricket World Cup—between South Africa and New Zealand—was a battle between two underrated sides who are known for their sportsmanship and a tendency not to get involved in some of the nastier aspects of gamesmanship, then … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Cricket, India, IPL, Right Off the Bat Book, T20 Cricket
Tagged Big Bash, World Cup
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Crickball
The Don. The Babe. South Korea. What do all these have in common? According to the Guardian last year, plenty. Martin and I touch on the two 1930s Cricket-and-Baseball Summits in something of a coda to Right off the Bat—minus … Continue reading
Posted in Bangladesh, Baseball, Cricket, England, Pakistan, Right Off the Bat Book, Sri Lanka, Stadiums, T20 Cricket, West Indies, Yankees
Tagged Arun Panthers, Asiad/Asian Games, Babe Ruth, Bangladesh, Don Bradman, Graeme Swann, Julien Fountain, Lord's Cricket Ground, Major League Baseball, Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, T20, United Arab Emirates, West Indies, World Cup, Yankee Stadium
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Little Red Scooter
To Martin’s Broad Agonistes, I note two Major League Baseball parallels: and our Right off the Bat is thus chockablock, many being downright spooky. On the night of May 7, 1957, left-handed ace Herb Score—called by Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Website, Yankees
Tagged American League, Bob Feller, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Gil McDougald, Herb Score, Jack Hamilton, Major League Baseball, Mickey Mantle, National League, New York Mets, Tony Conigliaro, Yogi Berra
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Parth Taneja at Right Off the Bat Headquarters
We (Evander [left] and Martin [right]) were delighted to welcome Right Off the Bat’s Number One Fan, legal eagle Parth Taneja (center), to ROTB HQ in Brooklyn, NY. Parth traveled all the way from Washngton, DC, to share his enthusiasm for the Right … Continue reading
Posted in One-Day Cricket, Right Off the Bat Book
Tagged Hot Stove League, Kevin Moran, Parth Taneja
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A Letter from a Fan
Occasionally, out of the ether, a missive arrives that tells us that our writing hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. We were delighted to receive an email from Parth Taneja, a law student in Washington, D.C. The letter (slightly edited for length … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Cricket, Right Off the Bat Book, Right Off the Bat Podcasts
Tagged Ken Burns
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Baseball Date: July 11, 1914
While most of the West is meditating on the centennial of World War I, I (Evander) have been preoccupied with the upcoming centennial (2015) of W. C. Fields’s entry into the film world. But more relevant than both anniversaries to … Continue reading
21st-c. Ball and the Fans
Is “the umpire blind”? Herewith the first important reviewable play in 21st-c. MLB, which means in the history of North American baseball and possibly anywhere. The video—available as part of the above link describing the game between two of the … Continue reading
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